


Hunting in Packs

by Longpig



Series: Growing Pains [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bullying, Childhood Trauma, Fights, Galra Empire, Gen, Humiliation, Kid Fic, Pre-Canon, Self-Esteem Issues, gratuitous abuse of a fave, kids be shitty yo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-12-01 09:49:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11483862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Longpig/pseuds/Longpig
Summary: Children can be cruel, and it's no different in the Galra Empire. Not even for a prince.





	Hunting in Packs

**Author's Note:**

> I'm imagining they are like the Galra equivalent of 10-12 years old here.

“Hey freak.”

Lotor stared down at his meal tray. Maybe if he ignored Sendak for long enough, he’d go away this time. Maybe.

“I’m talking to you, Prince Half-breed.”

Or maybe not. Another boy snickered behind him; Haxus, most likely. Well, fine. He’d proven before that he was faster and stronger than the two of them, despite his size. Apparently they were slow learners.

“Fuck off, Sendak,” he growled. He turned around to face his tormentors, and his mouth went dry. Sendak was flanked not only by his toady Haxus, but three other boys from the cohort. The monitors were nowhere to be seen, of course. This was not going to be a good day.

Two of them tackled him and shoved him against the table, pinning his arms. The tray of food tipped up and struck the back of his head. He could feel the remains of his lunch dripping into his hair, but that was the least of his worries.

“Let go of me you stupid klaars!” He struggled against their grips, but they had size and leverage against him.

“You sure have a dirty mouth for a prince, freak.” Sendak loomed over him, snickering. A hot spike of anger drove through him, and he lashed out, landing a powerful kick squarely between the bigger boy’s legs. Sendak yelped and dropped to his knees, retching and clutching his crotch. Lotor didn’t have time to enjoy the sight though. As soon as his friend hit the floor, Haxus whirled on him and rammed a fist into his gut, knocking the wind out of him.

“You little mutant,” Haxus sneered, while Lotor gasped desperately for air. “You’ll regret that. Get his legs,” he barked to the other boys. “Careful, he bites.” He’d learned  _ that _ lesson, anyway.

Lotor twisted and kicked with all his might to get away, but it was no use; he was outnumbered. The three of them wrestled him to the floor while Haxus stood and watched, smirking. When they figured they had him subdued enough, they hauled him up to his knees, his arms twisted painfully behind his back. Panic started to set in. He was used to the fights, used to getting ganged up on and beaten, but not like this. Today it seemed different. Still, he was determined not to show fear. That would make it so much worse. He glared balefully at Haxus.

“How can he even  _ be _ the Prince, when he’s not even a real Galra?” Haxus looked askance at Sendak, who was finally getting to his feet. One of the boys holding his arms snickered, and Lotor felt his face flush.

“I am too Galra!” he protested, hating the way his voice cracked.

“I heard they grew him in a vat,” Haxus sneered.

“ _ I _ heard they made a pit slave do it with the komar and he’s what came out,” added one of the others, giving his elbow an extra twist. Sendak guffawed.

“Well I heard your mom’s a fuckin’ gorlax!” Lotor yelled, thrashing ineffectually. Sendak cuffed him across the mouth for his trouble, splitting his lip.

“You’re no Galra,” he snarled. “Everyone knows you’re growing that stupid mop because you don’t even have a crest.”

"You shut up!” None of these taunts were anything new, but that one was worse because it was true. His cheeks burned with shame.

“I’ll bet you ten gac he doesn’t even have any fur at all either,” Haxus drawled, looking him up and down with disdain.

“I’ll take that bet.” Sendak swaggered toward him with a particularly cruel gleam in his eye. “Let’s find out.” Lotor’s eyes widened in alarm as he realized what was about to happen. All efforts to seem tough were forgotten, and he struggled harder still against the boys holding him, but it was no use.

“No! You can’t!” he cried out, frantic. Sendak took hold of his collar with his big, clawed hands and yanked it forcefully, tearing his shirt in half down the center and hauling it down over his shoulders.

“Look! He’s smooth as scaultrite,” Haxus chortled gleefully. The rest of them joined in, Sendak practically roaring with laughter. The indignity hurt worse than his twisted arms or bloody lip, and it wasn’t over yet.

“What about the rest of him?” one of them called out. Lotor swallowed hard, filled with dread. With a wicked grin, Sendak grabbed the waist of Lotor’s pants, and pulled them down to his knees.

“Looks like I owe Haxus ten gac.”

Hot tears of shame welled up in his eyes and spilled down his cheeks. He wished they would just beat him up. Even killing him would be better than this.

“We made him  _ leak! _ ” Haxus was delighted. “What  _ would _ the Emperor say…” Lotor choked back a sob, utterly humiliated. He wasn’t sure if it made things better or worse that Monitor Jzin chose that particular moment to walk in. Her keen golden eyes swept the room, processing the scene.

“Children,” she said with a scowl, “behave.” The other boys let him drop, backed off and scattered with a muttered chorus of ‘ _ yes, monitor _ ’s. She glared down at him and let out a small huff of disgust. “Cover yourself.”

Sobbing and sniffling, Lotor scrambled to pull on what was left of his clothing, while the monitor watched with a disapproving frown. Galra --  _ real _ Galra -- did not cry.

 

Lotor was not included in that evening’s discussions of the incident, but he overheard enough from his room to get the picture.  _ Disappointing. Embarrassment. Incapable of social integration.  _ His father was angry. More frighteningly, his mother was angry. Lotor sat on his bed and hugged his knees tightly against his chest, trying not to cry again and make everything even worse. He wished he’d never been born.

He couldn’t decide who he hated more: Sendak and his friends, or himself.

  
  



End file.
